Manufacture of asphalt



J B. HEID April 18, 1939.

MANUFACTURE OF ASPHALT Original Filed Oct. 17, 1931 INVENTOR JACOB BENJAMIN HEID BY AT TORNE Patented Apr. 18, 1939 MANUFACTURE OF ASPHALT Jacob Benjamin Heid, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application October 17, 1931, Serial No. 569,408

-Renewed February 13, 1937 2 Claims.

5 petroleum oil and blowing said heated oil with air and/or steam in each of a series of conversion stages and producing, in each of said stages, an asphalt of different characteristics from that produced in any other stage of process.

The invention is not limited to any particular type of charging stock as it may be successfully employed in the production of various grades of asphaltic material from heavy asphaltic base crude oils, residual oils resulting from straight distillation or cracking or any other type of oil from which asphalt may be produced by heating and blowing with air or steam.

The provisions of the invention will be found 20 particularly advantageous to refiners who have a market for several grades of asphalt as it permits the manufacture of any number of different grades of asphaltic material in any desired proportion in a unified and continuous system from a single charging stock. The process of the present invention not only avoids duplication of equipment but also conserves heat which would be wasted if the production of various grades of asphalt were. accomplished in independent 30 processes.

One specific embodiment of the invention may comprise heating a petroleum oil, alone or in the presence of air or steam, or both, introducing the heated materials into an enlarged converter 35 or asphalt-producing chamber, blowing the heated material in said chamber with air or steam, or both, withdrawing vapors and gases from said chamber, withdrawing the asphaltic product from said chamber, cooling a portion of said product and withdrawing it from the system and introducing the remainder either directly or after cooling into a secondary converter or asphalt-producing chamber where it is blown with air or steam, or both, withdrawing vapors and gases from said secondary chamber, withdrawing the asphaltic product from said secondary chamber,

cooling a portion thereof and withdrawing it from the system and introducing the remainder directly or after cooling, into a tertiary converter 50 or asphalt producing chamber wherein it is blown with air or steam, or both, withdrawing vapors and gases from said tertiary chamber and withdrawing the asphaltic product therefrom. It will be understood that this operation may be continue'd through any number of successive stages,

permitting the production of any desired number of different asphaltic products, variation in the characteristics of each product from that produced in the succeeding stage depending upon the extent of oxidation to which the product from said succeeding stage is subjected. In the pres-. ent invention the degree of oxidation and conversion in each stage may be regulated to suit requirements. The primary factors entering into the control of the characteristics of the asphalt produced aside from the type of charging stock employed are the temperature and pressure conditions, the quantity of oxidizing medium employed, the intimacy of contact of said oxidizing medium with the oil and the time to which material being treated is subjected to conversion conditions in each treating stage. As a special feature of the invention, means are provided for preventing generation of excessive temperatures in the converter or asphaltproducing chamber and comprises recycling to the converter or asphalt-producing chamber a portion of the cooled product withdrawn therefrom. I

The attached diagrammatic drawing illustrates one form of apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention and in which the operation of the process of the invention may be accomplished. The oil to be converted may be introduced through line I and valve 2 to pump 3 from which it may be fed through line 4 and valve 5 to heating element 6. The oil may be alone subjected to heating in heating element 6 or, if desired, air or steam or both, may be introduced throughline I and valve 8 into the stream of oil passing through line 4 to the heating element.

Heating element 6 is located in any suitable form of furnace 9 and the material supplied thereto is heated to the desired temperature under any desired pressure conditions, passing therefrom through line it and valve II. to the primary converter or asphalt-producing chamber I2, which may had any desired form but in the pref-erred embodiment herein illustrated comprises a vertically disposed cylindrical chamber intowhich heated materials are discharged near the upper portion thereof andfrom which the asphaltic product is withdrawn near the lower portion thereof. 50

Chamber I! may be insulated to prevent excessive radiation of heat or may, if desired, 'be disposed within a suitable furnace setting, not illustrated, bymeans of which additional heat may be supplied to the material undergoing r treatment therein. A spray l3 or other suitable means of introducing oxidizing materials into contact with the oil in chamber I2 is provided in the lower portion thereof. Steam may be supplied to spray |3 through line I4 and valve 5 and air may be supplied through line i6 controlled by valve The heated oil introduced into chamber I2 is thus intimately contacted in this zone with air and/or steam by an operation known as blowing.

An asphaltic product iswithdrawn from the lower portion of chamber |2 through line I8 and may pass through valve I9 and cooler 20 into line 2|. A portion of the cooled asphaltic product may be withdrawn from the system through line 22 and valve 23 while the remainder may pass through valve 24, in line 2|, to pump 25. If desired, that portion of the product from chamber l2, which is not withdrawn from the system, may be directed to pump 25 without passing through cooler 20, in which case it is diverted fromline |8 through line 28 and valve 21 into line 2| and thence to pump 25. In case cooling is required in chamber l2 to prevent the generation of excessive temperatures in this zone, a portion of the cooled asphaltic material supplied to pump 25 may be directed therefrom through line 28 and through line 29 and valve 30 back into chamber l2. 7

A portion, at least, of the asphalticmaterial supplied to pump 25, either in a cooled or substantially uncooled state, as the case may be, may be directed through line 28, line 3| and valve 32 into the secondary converter or asphaltproducing chamber 33.

Chamber 33, as here illustrated, is similar to chamber |2 except that this zone may ordinarily be somewhat smaller than the primary converter inasmuch as larger quantities of material will ordinarily be treated in chamber |2 than chamber 33 and ordinarily the additional conversion required in chamber 33 will not be as extensive as that accomplished in chamber I2. Chamber 33, like chamber |2, may i! desired, be insulated or externally heated bywell known means, not illustrated. A spray I3 is provided in the lower portion of chamber 33 to which steam may be admitted through line l4 controlled by valve l5 and to which air may be admitted through line I 5 controlled by valve II.

An asphaltic product is withdrawn from the lower portion of chamber 33 through line l8 and may pass through valve l3 and cooler 20' into line 2|. A portion of the cooled asphaltic product may be withdrawn from the system through line 22 and valve 23' while the remainder may pass through valve 24', in line 2|, to pump 25.. If desired, that portion of the product from chamber 33, which is not withdrawn from the system, may be directed to pump 25 without passing through cooler 20, in which case it is diverted from line |8' through line 28' and valve 21 into line 2| and thence to pump 25'. In case cooling is required in chamber 33 to prevent the generation of excessive temperatures in this zone, a portion of the cooled asphaltic material supplied to pump 25 may be directed therefrom through line 28' and through line 23 and valve 30' back into chamber '33.

A portion'at least of the asphaltic material supplied to pump 25 either in a cooled or substantially uncooled state, as the case may be, may be directed through line 28', line 3| and valve 32 into the secondary. converter or asphaltproducing chamber 34.

the proportions of about 75:25 percent.

Chamber 34, as here illustrated, is similar to chamber |2 except that this zone may ordinarily be somewhat smaller than the primary converter inasmuch as larger quantities of material will ordinarily be treated in chamber l2 than chamber 34 and ordinarily the additional conversion 1 .passing through valve l9" and through cooler to be withdrawn from the system through lines 2| and 22" and valve 23". To assist in regulating the temperature in chamber 34a portion of the material withdrawn from this zone and cooled, as just described, may be diverted from line 22" through valve 24", in line 2|", to pump from which it may be returned through line 28" and valve to any desired point in chamber 34.

Vapors and gases are withdrawn from chambers I2, 33 and 34 respectively through lines 35, 35 and 35" controlled respectively by 'valves 36, 36 and 36" and may pass through line 31 to be subjected to condensation and cooling in condenser 38, distillate and gas from which may pass through line 39 and valve 40 to be collected in receiver 4|. Air and uncondensable conversion products may be released from receiver 4| through line 42 and valve 43. Distillate may be withdrawn from the receiver through line 44 and valve 45 while water separated from the distillate may be removed from receiver 4| through line 48 and valve 41.

Relatively low super-atmospheric pressures of the order of 10 to 100 pounds per square inch substantially atmospheric pressures or sub-atmospheric pressures may be employed within the system. Substantially equalized pressures may be employed throughout the system or difierential pressures may be employed between the various zones. Preferably the temperature maintained in the converters or asphalt-producing chambers does not substantially exceed 500 F.

As a. specific example of the operation of a process such as above described and illustrated, a 15 A. P. I, gravity asphaltic base residual oil is utilized. This material is heated to av temperature of approximately 450 F. and is discharged into the primary converter where it is blown with a mixture consisting of about 25 percent air and 75 percent steam. Approximately 20 percent of the asphaltic material produced in the primary converter is withdrawn from the system and amounts to about 8.4 gallons per barrel of charging stock of asphalt of about penetration and a melting point of about 140 F. A portion of the material withdrawn from the primary converter, after being cooled by about 50 F., is fed back into the primary converter to assist in maintaining the temperature in this zone at approximately 475 F. The remainder of the asphaltic product withdrawn from the pri- 'mary converter is introduced into the secondary converter where it is subjected to further oxidation by blowing with air and steam admixed in An asphalt having about 30 penetration and a melting point of approximately 175 I". is withdrawn from the secondary converter. The total asphalt produced in the secondary converter may amount to about 58 percent of the total oil charged to the system and a little over one-third of this product amounting to approximately 20 percent by volume of the charging stock or about 8.4 gallons per barrelis withdrawn from the system. The remainder is supplied to the tertiary converter where it is blown with a mixture consisting of about 80 percent air and 20 percent steam. The product withdrawn from the last converter may have a 15 penetration and a melting point of approximately 225 F. This is the most valuable product of the system and may be used as a roofing material or for sin'iilar purposes and amounts to about 15 gallons per barrel of charging stock or approximately 35 percent. a

In addition a distillate resembling heavy gas 20 oil amounting to about 15 percent of the charging stock may be produced and about 10 percent, based on the oil fed to the system, is chargeable to gas and loss. Y

cient to oxidize such oil to asphalt, removing theasphaltic product from said zone and recovering from which last removed to control the tempera ture of oxidation therein and to blend with the oil therein undergoing oxidation to asphalt.

2. A process for producing asphalt which comprises blowing asphaltic base oil with oxidizing gas in an oxidation zone at a temperature sumcient to oxidize such oil to asphalt, removing the asphaltic product from said zone and recovering a portion thereof, introducing another portion of said asphaltic product to a second oxidation zone and again blowing the same therein with oxidizing gas at a temperature suflicient to effect fur-. ther oxidationthereof, removing the resultant asphaltic product from the second zone and recovering a portion thereof, cooling another portion of the asphaltic product from the second zone and returning the same to said second zone to control the temperature of oxidation therein and to blend with the material therein under-- going further oxidation. 1

' JACOB BENJAMIN 1mm.

a portion thereoi,"introducing another portion of 

